How Media Represents My Intellectual Identity
We live in a world that is dominated by various forms of media: the constant advertising we see around us, our evolving means of communication (Zoom, for example), and the different ways of interacting with popular culture. We have endless media outlets that we are able to engage with every day, and I think that our individual preferences for communication and content consumption can say a lot about our unique characters and personalities. As someone who desires to have a career in sports media, I thought it would be really interesting to examine how the types of media that I engage with have influenced my own identity. I noticed that my media consumption habits reflect the progression of how I have engaged with media throughout my life. In other words, the changes in how I have consumed media correlate to what media I have consumed. So, here are the notable examples of media that I feel have impacted me the most.
1. Television
I grew up watching sports on TV all the time, as my parents love sports as well. This constant exposure as a kid is a major reason why I have remained so passionate about sports. My dad says I even learned to count by watching basketball games on TV with him; I really enjoy learning about the world through sports, from practical things like simple arithmetic to cultural insights that sports can provide. As a kid, I also engaged with sports better through television than in person, which makes sense given my preference for passively consuming over actively participating in sports activities.
2. YouTube
Like my passive obsession for sports, I have loved watching gaming videos on Youtube for about a decade. I consumed countless hours of Minecraft videos before I even started playing it myself; I watched FIFA content creators for years despite not having a console to play it on until recently. This fondness for gaming videos represents how I don’t need active participation to satisfy my appetite for entertainment. On a separate note, YouTube creators have showed me the importance of consistency in creating content, which is something that I need to continue to implement into my own life in order to be successful in my desired career.
3. Video Games
As I have grown up, I have actually played video games more and more instead of simply watching videos. Like these forms of media, the progression of my intellectual identity can be seen through the different games I have played over the years. For example, in middle school, when I simply desired entertainment and interaction with friends, I played Minecraft and Clash of Clans as a way to engage with friends. Now, I play sports games like FIFA and Madden, still partially for entertainment, but mostly to learn more about these sports that I never really played but enjoy watching.
4. ESPN and Sports Illustrated
As I realized that I wanted to become a sports journalist around eighth and ninth grade, I began to consume more and more traditional media content, both in print and video. I began reading each weekly issue of Sports Illustrated and often skimmed through ESPN’s website looking at scores and stories. I also started watching a lot of ESPN shows on TV instead of just sports games. I came to admire people like Scott Van Pelt, Rachel Nichols, and Michael Wilbon, who are able to effectively discuss current events and ask powerful, interesting questions to athletes and analysts.
5. Twitter
I started using Twitter in ninth grade as a source of both knowledge and amusement, and it has also allowed me to learn about people I look up to, from athletes to sports media personalities to YouTube creators. Similar to what I talked about with video games, my use of Twitter has evolved from simple consumption of funny memes and interesting stories to intently pursuing useful information for my own content. Social media also has an especially important effect on my intellectual identity, because who I choose to follow impacts what I engage with and learn about in my day-to-day life, which can be quite different from others.
6. Podcasts
Soon after, around tenth grade, I began listening to Pardon My Take, a humorous sports podcast that provided a similar combination of entertainment and information to Twitter. I have listened to fascinating interviews with people ranging from Blake Griffin to Zac Efron to Neil DeGrasse Tyson, in addition to hilarious commentary on recent events and incidents both inside and outside the realm of sports. Lately, I have also begun listening to more informative, analytical podcasts such as The Mina Kimes Show, through which I have learned a lot about football, my favorite sport to watch.
7. SI Sports Network
As a freshman, I joined this club through which I helped broadcast various sports games at my high school. This activity served as an outlet for the vast sports knowledge that I had built up, and it allowed me to begin acquiring the skills possessed by the sports media personalities I admire. This was the first time that I was involved in creating content, and I loved it. I was able to build upon my passion for watching sports by creating something more meaningful and concrete, which is why I want to continue pursuing a career in sports media here at USC.
8. Annenberg Media
Now that I am in college, I am able to continue my intellectual development in a more advanced way. I have written just three sports articles for the Annenberg Media site, but I have already learned plenty of valuable knowledge about writing and hands-on experience. This is perhaps the most important for me, because media is simply the different forms of communication we use, and I need to be a good writer in order to communicate effectively to an audience. At the same time, my consumption habits have also changed as I take on a more creative role; I now desire knowledge over amusement through media.
